Marketing Consumer Behavior: Prominent Challenge

The observation took place for around 30 minutes in 4 stores of the Harvey Norman Wairau Park during the hours 11am-1pm.

The observed data has been placed below-

The consumers are observed with the visual appearance and the interaction with the brand and the product in the electronic store. It has been found that about 28% of the consumers did not pay attention towards the brand. About 52% of the respondents get involved with the product and showed interest with towards the brand and electronic store for that purpose. Among that 52% only 34% of the consumers get fully involved and purchase the product. 205 of the consumers showed their interested towards the electronic store for the purpose of the iPhone7. In this regard it has been found that the major age group that showed interest towards the brand is between the age group of 18-30 years of age. The age above 45 did not provide much attention towards it. Rest of the consumers from the age group between 35-45 years of age showed some interest towards the product.

One significant thing that has been observed during the observation period is that the consumer service is very poor. It has been observed in case of two stores out of four. Miscomprehension has been found towards the consumers regarding engage with the electronic store and the new Apple brand product. Another important extent of the consumer behavior that associated with it is the psychological core that guide the consumers towards the engagement with the brand is associated with the learning through the involvement and perceived value towards the brand. The perception is associated with the intensity, contrast, movement, surprise, size and involvement.

Consumer Behavior Concept with the Managerial Behavioral Criteria

It is the duty of the manager to maintain the proper communication with the consumers depending on the consumer behavior concept that associated with the psychological factors, personal factors, and social factors. It is associated with the determination of the segment that need the proper attention by the managers and the business organizations to draw the attention of the consumers. In this regard it is essential to consider the black-box model and personal-variable model. In case of the electronic shop it is necessary to focus on the internal factors regarding the personal opinions, belief system, traditions and motivators to guide the consumers towards the brand the store is showing, Marketing messages and the availability of the product attracts the consumers more. Considering the buying process the managers are required to recognize the pattern of the buying behavior that includes problem recognition, searching the information, evaluation of the alternatives and the post-purchase behavior of the consumers. The managers of the brand and the store manager who are interacting with the consumers of the brand are associated with the safety needs and esteem needs highlighting the consequences of Maslow’s Hierarchy Needs.

In case of the electronic store it is essential for the managers to consider the PESTLE analysis of the existing business operation market. It highlights the effect of the political, economical, social and technological impact on the consumers of the New Zealand. In this regard it has been found that the impact of this parameters are very much prominent among the consumers and depending on that the segments of the consumers that are associated with consideration of the common needs, interest and priorities. Depending on that new market session it is associated with the managerial view to design and implementation of the strategies to attract the market segments that are mainly associated with the age group priority that mainly concerned towards the technological gadgets and the segment mainly range between the age 18-30 years. The next concern among the managers of the stores and the brand is associated with proper placing of the product towards the target market segment. It is associated with the advertisement process to occupies the mind of the target market segment. In this case it is also associated with the business operational objectives that provide the edge over the other brands.

It is necessary to consider the extent of the marketing mix application in the business policies in case of brand and the store that are associated with the selling of the brand products. The manager need to understand the mind of the consumers and the needs that continually associated with changing over time for the development of the proper market image. In this regard the most essential part is associated with the 4P of marketing. Price is associated with quality of the product. Considering the case of iPhnone 7 in this regard it has been found that the consumers are concerned about the high price of the product thus only a particular segment of the market that can afford the price are associated with the product and visit the store. Focusing on the product it has been found that the quality of the product is associated with the creation of the brand image among the consumers. In this regard it has become important that the consumer segment that are concerned about the quality of the product will attract towards the store to buy the product of the brand. The managers need to maintain good relationship with the consumer base. On the other hand, the major selling activity is associated with the promotion of the product in front of the target market. The application of digital marketing has enabled the brand and the store to attract the large portion of the consumers over the social media to get visit in the store to interact with the brand and purchase it. Place is an also important factor in this case, it is required to place the product towards the market segment that are concerned about the product.

Moreover, it has been found that the perception, attitude, personality and social influence contributes towards the decision making of the consumers to control the extent of the purchase decision in the target market. Thus, in case of Smartphone consumption the behavioral changes with age of the target market.

Recommendation as per the Research Findings

Development of Brand Image

Brand image is highly effective factor that influence to develop buying behaviour in the customers. Good image should be maintained by the authority of Apple to exhibit their goodness in front of the customers to achieve their faith towards the brand. The Reputation of a brand grows by their customer satisfaction level in which the customers convey the effectiveness and usefulness of the previous products of the brand that they have used earlier. It is beneficial for the organisation to retain as well as develop buying behaviour of a customer. Due to lack of satisfaction customer shifts their brand to obtain satisfaction as per their expectation. Therefore, Apple needs to accomplish a proper, honest deal with the customers that can make them loyal towards the brand and provide the brand a sustainable business to maintain the position in the competitive market of the global as well as domestic field. Moreover, the traditional brand image has a great marketing value that should be carried by Apple to attract those buyers who believe in the traditional name of brand for the business of new launched product iPhone 7.

Serve the Customers as per their Expectation

Identification of the customers need is a very important factor for a profitable organisation to serve them to earn huge profit. In the competitive market, there are similar kind of products and services offered by different brands. However, iPhone 7 by Apple differs from their characteristics and facilities that are manufactured by the understanding of the requirement of the customers. These kinds of products are consumed in a huge amount because of its facilities and effectiveness that are perceived by the customers during their purchasing period. Comparison among the existing service or the product should be done by an organisation to recognise the actual need of the customer that are lacking in the service or the product of the particular organisation. Provision of such facilities in the Apple iPhone 7 enhance the customer to shift their buying behaviour from one brand to other that can give them an advantage of the organisation to get the customers by modifying their own standard and style of business.

Updated Promotion Strategy

Promotion of a product or service has a huge impact in the market that influence the customers through audio or visual or both ways to develop their buying behaviour. Depending on the target market the organisation should develop promotional strategies to attract the specific mass of customers to buy their products or services. In case of teenagers the organisation can promote their products or service through sports channels or provide it on hoarding beside some college or school showing the facilities. Moreover, they can arrange an event for the teenagers to exhibit them the facilities of iPhone 7. In case of middle aged and working people social media, television and hoarding are the best option for promotion. Moreover, the theme of promotion needs to be very much contemporary that can generate attraction to shift towards the new brand from their regular one. Finally the traditional exhibition of the product or service can be done for the aged customer group because they like to carry their generation all the time. Hence, promotional strategy should be performed by Apple in a very effective way to develop the buying behaviour of the customers for their ultimate profit.

CSR Activity

Corporate Social Responsibility is an innovative strategy by which Apple can attract a mass of customers towards them from some other brand. Welfare activities are always appreciated by all the customers, therefore if an organisation performs some social welfare the customers naturally attracted by the performance of the organisation and want to be a part of it. Shift of buying behaviour comes with such CSR activity that should be done by the organisation along with their business such as provision of scholarship to the children belongs from below poverty level, plantation to make environment pollution free and quit tobacco campaign to serve for mankind. Such kind of activities will influence customer to buy the product of the brand for their encouragement which is beneficial for the organisation to obtain customer loyalty that develops their buying behaviour.

Increasing Consciousness Regarding the Price and Quality

Quality and price of a product is very important for customers buying behaviour development. The organisation should understand the socioeconomic condition of a place where they are supposed to perform their business activity to earn profit. This identification helps to understand the affordability of the customers and their requirement of service or product. Moreover, customers have a tendency to buy a product or service after comparison of the price and quality of the merchandise or the service with the existing one in the market. In case of apple i phone 7 the attentiveness of the organisation towards their product or service price and quality help to achieve benefits in the market. Therefore, strategy of price fixation of Apple iPhone 7 should be very much tricky to provide the customer quality at a reasonable price with the comparison of other brand.

Deal with Customers by Adopting their Culture

Culture plays an important role to develop buying behaviour of the customers. The consumer of apple i phone 7 would like to enjoy the facilities of the technology of a foreign company however they would be comfortable to get the service as per their domestic culture. Hence dealing practice of the product and service of Apple should modify as per the culture of the customer to attract them to buy the phone apart from any other brand that are competing in the global market. Moreover, the sellers need to provide comfort to the customers during the transaction period to make them familiar with such brand brought to them from a completely different culture. In case of domestic customer the organisation needs to exhibit the product as per their requirement relating with the cultural dimension of their own that can make the customer attracted to maintain loyalty and shift their choice to the other brand to Apple.  

Conclusion

Thus, it can be concluded from the above discussion it has been found that the observational study arrangement is important to understand the consumer perception and the attitude towards the market and the particular product. In this case, it has been found that frustration and insufficient consumer motivation is associated with lack in the consumer service and the communication channel issues. The perception of the consumers towards the image of the brand is associated with the attitude issues that comprises of the pricing and brand image. Thus, it has been found that the managers are considering the social media interaction aspects to understand the impact of the need of motivational force on the learning and the perception of the consumers that provide the necessary guidance to the managers of the store and brand to focus on the segmentation and positioning the marketing mix. It helps in maintaining the quality and price of the product and proper promotional guidance in the target market. Apart from that it has also indicated in the discussion that political, social and economical parameters are contributing towards the influencing the consumers to change the preferences towards particular brand product. Suggested recommendation in the report is essential for addressing the marketing problem existing in the New Zealand considering the Smartphone consumption. The observational based study is the essential aspect that can help the managers also to develop knowledge regarding the proper business performance.

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